Explore our Plan
- Regulating and reforming the consulting sector
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The Big Four consulting firms—PwC, KPMG, EY, and Deloitte—have an outsized influence on Australia's economy and government.
Labor and the Liberals have allowed this dominance to grow unchecked, giving these firms lucrative contracts while failing to address their conflicts of interest and lack of transparency.
The Greens are committed to ending this cosy relationship between major parties and big consulting firms.
The Greens' plan:
- Cap accounting firm partnerships at 100 members to break up monopolistic practices and foster greater competition and transparency in the industry.
- Require consulting firms to provide either audit or non-audit services to clients, eliminating conflicts of interest and ensuring higher audit quality and public trust.
- Establish an independent consulting regulator to enforce ethical standards, maintain a professional register, and impose penalties for misconduct, strengthening oversight and accountability in the sector.
- A larger Parliamentary Budget Office
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The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) is essential to supporting the work of our elected representatives.
It is currently underfunded, and needs to be appropriately resourced to provide independent budget analysis for MPs not part of the government.
Neither Labor nor the Liberals have acted on recommendations to increase the PBO’s funding. The Greens will.
The Greens' plan:
- Enhance operational capacity by providing $1.1 million per year in ongoing funding, addressing constraints highlighted by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
- Ensure fiscal independence with a $6 million special account, doubling the amount recommended in the 2024-25 JCPAA statement on the PBO’s funding.
- Expand costing capabilities by tripling the size of the PBO, enabling a broader and more robust analysis on an ongoing basis.
- Strengthen economic forecasting by empowering the PBO to independently prepare macroeconomic forecasts and analyses.
More information on this policy initiative will be released soon.